The 2022 World Darts Championship is only six days away, where 96 of the best players will battle it out for the Sid Waddell trophy.
After being played without a crowd last year, we’re guaranteed to be back with a bang as the iconic Alexandra Palace is ready to be lit up again.
The likes of Gerwyn Price, Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright will be classed amongst the favourites for this year’s event, and all have had their say on their respective chances.
Price comes off the back of winning his third Grand Slam title, and will be looking to retain the trophy he won in an empty Ally Pally last year.
With the return of fans will come the inevitable boos that Price has suffered in recent years. On the possibility of it happening, ‘The Iceman’ told Metro: “I’d rather them not boo and just enjoy the darts.
“I don’t mind pantomime boos at the start or the middle of games, but it’s at the crucial points. I can’t control what they do, but maybe just chill out a little bit and enjoy the darts.”
Price is listed as the favourite at 10/3 in the bookies and will feel that tag is justified based on his performances this year.
Wright, the 2020 World Champion, is coming off the back of a much-needed win in the Players Championship Finals, where he beat rising star Ryan Searle in a last-leg decider.
‘Snakebite’ was going through a difficult spell before his triumph in Minehead. The 51-year-old found himself out of form after winning the World Matchplay in July, but the Scotsman is certainly coming into form at the right time and has been reflecting on his win in 2020 against van Gerwen, who he beat 7-3 in the final.
Speaking to the PDC’s official outlets, Wright said: “That was the year that if I didn’t do any good as well that we’d have to call it a day. I wasn’t ready to be World Champion, in my head even though I tried, I missed a few doubles to win sets but last time I knew I was ready.
“It meant more beating Michael (van Gerwen), the amount of finals that I’ve given him. I didn’t have the thing to cross the line and to win.”
“I achieved my dream of being World Champion from starting off from the age of 13 wanting to play darts.”
Despite not winning a major ranking event this year, unprecedented for someone with the ability of van Gerwen, the Dutchman insists he is still the man to beat.
“If I play to the best of my ability, I’m still the best player in the world and everyone should be scared of me,” van Gerwen told Dutch radio outlet.
“After the coronavirus outbreak I practiced far too little. I also became a father a second time and switched to another darts manufacturer, all factors that ensured that I no longer played to my best level.
“I’ve finally found a good set of darts that I feel comfortable with. Still I’m not there yet, it’s never good enough for me and I want to keep investing in myself. I want to play darts for another ten years, that means giving the full one hundred percent focus on my sport.”
The 2022 PDC World Darts Championship gets underway on Wednesday, 15 December and every game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Darts.
